End caps in retail stores are those locations in the stores that are at the end of an aisle. End caps are often the location where featured items, such as sales items and very popular items, are located. End caps are used for popular or featured items because they typically have the highest amount of traffic flow past them, and shoppers may be influenced by a product on an end cap to seek out other items within the store that relate to the item on the end cap.
Further, certain items are displayed on end caps at certain locations where it is known that impulse-type purchases are typically made. Such end cap locations include for example end caps located at or near point of sale locations within the store.
The use of video monitoring and video analytics in a retail store environment is becoming increasingly popular. Video monitoring is used for a number of purposes, including but not limited to security monitoring, store personnel compliance monitoring, troubleshooting monitoring, and the like.
Video monitoring is also used for determining conditions within a store, or for monitoring traffic flow and traffic patterns of shoppers through the store. For example, fixed cameras using video analytics can determine how many shoppers pass a certain point, and can also determine the direction of travel for the shoppers. Further, areas of interest within video frames can be determined and monitored using video analytics. Such areas of interest include a shelf or shelves, or the like. Video analytics can be used to determine whether a shopper has reached into a shelf area or removed a product or products from the shelf.
Other video analytics can determine whether or when a shopper stops at a certain point of interest, and can determine how long the shopper stays at the location at which the shopper has stopped. This may be referred to as a dwell time or loitering analytic. Such analytics provide information about timing of purchases and the like.
Individual video analytics can be used for very specific purposes, such as monitoring entry to and exit from a store, product removal, loitering, traffic patterns, and the like. While analytics that determine whether a shopper or guest is loitering in a certain location can be useful for purposes of calling for assistance automatically or identifying a potential theft threat at the certain location, the uses of a single analytic are limited to specific tasks.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for video monitoring and evaluation of end caps in stores.